


Imprint (Writer's Block)

by yoongiinm



Series: The Trinity [1]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Doctor Strange (Comics), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood and Violence, Chaptered, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/F, F/M, Graphic Description, Graphic Description of Corpses, M/M, Plot, Rape/Non-con Elements, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-04-15 03:08:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14150619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yoongiinm/pseuds/yoongiinm
Summary: "Why won't you trust me?" he asked, frustration seeping into his voice."Don't take it personally," she replied, smiling bitterly. "I don't trust anyone."Ana lost her faith in humanity long ago.Stephen Strange is still trying to find his way through the mystic arts.An impending threat causes them to join forces, but what happens when things get out of hand?Love and obsession, secrets and betrayal. Will the two of them be able to survive what's coming?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I'm really excited and nervous to be posting this lol. I hope you enjoy. Updates may or may not be regular, it depends on how much work I have to do for school, but I will try to be as regular as possible.
> 
> There will be a main song that I feel like embodies each chapter. The main song for the Prologue is Gain - Paradise. I highly suggest you listen to these songs while reading.

“ _A_ _na Sofía_!”

The deafening enraged scream broke through the calm of the small settlement nestled on the outskirts of Spain. Some sighed, some laughed, some rolled their eyes. It wasn’t uncommon to hear that name being yelled in various levels of irritation. Heads poked out of windows and people opened up a path as a fuming woman with fire in her auburn eyes and sand sizzling under her feet stalked down the road. “Ana! Where are you?” she shouted, eyes cutting through the crowd. “Come out! _Now_!” The woman zeroed in on a tuft of curly jet black hair peeking out behind a carriage. “Ana,” the woman growled, smoke wafting around her.

Dark violet eyes met her own, and Ana Sofía grinned sheepishly. “Elder Cinta! I thought I heard your voice. Did you call?”

“Off the dirt, Ana, and come stand in front of me,” snapped Elder Cinta. Ana whistled breezily, taking her time getting up, brushing off dust from her simple white gown, and strolling over to where the Magi Elder was impatiently waiting. Several in the crowd shook their hand at the girl’s blasé attitude towards the Elder, others watched on, eager for yet another confrontation. Ana lightly curtsied.

“Standing,” said Ana. “What is all the fuss, Elder?”

Elder Cinta narrowed her eyes. “Did you or did you not cure a diseased non Magi recently?”

Ana blinked innocently. “Maybe.”

Elder Cinta closed her eyes, breathing heavily with the effort it took to control herself. “Ana,” she replied, unnaturally sweet. “You know the rules, do you not?”

“The rather backward ones?” jabbed Ana, her voice still light but eyes sharp. “Yes, I know of them. I just chose to ignore them.”

Sparks emitted out of the Elder’s hands. Ana was rather petite, and the Elder easily towered over her, but she did not seem troubled in the slightest.

“Our rules are in place for a reason. You have neither the right nor the authority to decide whether you get to _ignore_ them or not.”

Ana tilted her head. “The man was the sole provider of his family,” she began slowly. “Had I not taken away his disease and healed him, the entire family would have been dead within the month. I could not stand by.”

“Yes!” hissed Elder Cinta. “Yes, you could have! You cannot go around using your Magi abilities whenever you feel like it, Ana! You could exposed us! What if word spreads to the other non Magis and they start hunting for you? For us?”

Ana rolled her eyes. “We have had this discussion one too many times, Elder Cinta.”

“We should not need to if you just---”

Ana’s strange violet eyes flashed with newfound anger and the wind picked up a little. “If I just what? Stood around here twiddling my thumbs while people like us---innocent, good people---are suffering and dying? When we could do so much more, when we could _help_ them? I am sorry, Elder, I cannot, _will not_ , do that.”

The Elder glared down at the defiant young girl. “This will be your last warning, Ana Sofía. Should this happen again, you will force our hand.” Elder Cinta turned on her heel, but glanced over her shoulder. “You are too valuable of a Magi, Ana. Do not make us do something we will regret.”

With that, the Elder walked away and the crowd dispersed, leaving Ana standing there with her conflicting thoughts.

  


 

_Do you think the Elders will exile you, young one?_

Ana sighed, running her hand through the Iberian wolf that hardly ever left her side’s soft fur. Night had fallen, but sleep had eluded her. She was sitting a little ways from the main square, using the trees and bushes to shield her. This was where she felt the most comfortable, in the arms of nature, being a Magi with a concentration in Nature Magic after all. “They have been threatening to exile me since I started using my Magi abilities.” She smiled sadly. “You heard her. I’m too valuable. I doubt it.”

He blinked. _You are valuable, and yet, they shame you for using your gifts for good._ It wasn’t a question. Just a statement.

“Do not blame them completely. They fear the non Magis. For what, I cannot understand…” mused Ana. “Fear drives people to do things they may not be otherwise inclined to do.”

_You are wise, young Magi. Wise beyond your years._

Ana shrugged. “I have noticed something about you.”

_And what is that?_

“You never call me by my actual name. And, come to think of it, you have never told me your name either.”

He gave a deep resonating purr that Ana interpreted as a chuckle. _And perceptive. All good qualities to have_ . His voice turned serious. _Names hold power, and a great degree of it. You would do well to never reveal your full name to anyone._

“I will keep that in mind.”

 _Do so_ . A second had not even passed before her friend bared his teeth, a growl in his throat and his hackles rising. _You need to leave. There is danger approaching_.

“Danger?” Ana stood up quickly. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she focused on the woods. A familiar surge of energy coursed through her. Connected to her Nature Magic powers, she used it to scan the area. For a moment, she thought there was nothing. The woods were quiet, save for the crickets and rustle of the leaves. But then she felt it. The smallest, almost imperceptible footsteps making their way in her direction.

 _Ana Sofía!_ Hearing her name startled her back to the wolf pushing her towards the Magi settlement. _You must go, and quickly!_ He growled again, crouching. Ana took several steps back, focusing on where the wolf was facing. She could feel the footsteps getting closer.

“ _Kjinn_ ,” she murmured, and flames burst from her hands, forging a fire blade that glowed softly.

A raspy laugh was the response. “Now is that any way to greet a guest?”

“Guest would imply that you are welcome,” replied Ana slowly, trying to see through the looming trees. She could feel his body heat, hear his footsteps, knew he was hiding somewhere there. She could feel something else. Something predatory. Ravenous. Dangerous.

“Welcome,” he repeated, humming slightly. “I suppose, when looking deeper, you would be correct.”

“Good that you know,” she deadpanned. “Who are you? Show yourself.”

Another chuckle. “Gladly.” A single pair of scarlet eyes met her own.

Her wolf snarled and lunged forward into the trees, his canines bared. His snarls were cut off by a yelp and a loud crack. She froze as the familiar but unwanted sensation of a spirit leaving its body crept over her. A broken gasp escaped her and it took all her effort to not fall to her knees.

 _Run_ was the last thing her lovely and only friend whispered before his soul moved on. The broken body of the Iberian wolf was thrown at her feet.

“You...wha…” Ana could not find the words. The ground began to shake around her as sorrow and anger washed over her and with deadly accuracy, her fire blade flew into the trees. She smiled in satisfaction when she heard a pained grunt.

It happened all too fast. One moment she was about to conjure up another blade and shout for assistance. The next, she was pinned against a tree with an iron grip around her throat. _How_ ? was the last thought she had before a flash of white fangs sunk into her throat. She could not scream. She did not _want_ to scream. A strange ecstasy was all she could feel. A moan escaped her. It felt right. She did not want him to stop.

Wait no. This was wrong. Something was _wrong_.

“No,” she mumbled weakly and his grip loosened a little.

“ _Vampire! Vampire in the woods!_ ”

Ana fell to the ground as she was suddenly released. _Vampire_. She weakly touched her stinging neck. It was wet with her blood. A small sob escaped her. She knew what a vampire bite entailed. She was either going to Turn...or she was going to die.

“Ana? Ana, can you hear me?” the voice of Elder Cinta asked, but she sounded far away.

“She has been bitten!”

“And she is not yet dead?”

“No, not yet, Elder Mateo.”

 _Help me_ , she wanted to cry out but she was too weak. _Someone please help me...Save me._

“What do we do?”

“She will be dead within the hour if we do not heal her.”

Her eyes drooped as her body got weaker and weaker.

“The venom is already in her system, I can feel it. No healing will be able to help her now.”

“So we are just going to let her die?”

“She may still Turn.”

A flurry of gasps and whispers filled the air. Ana just wanted to scream at them to do something, anything. There must be something they could do. The voices were growing faint.

“Is there a strong possibility she may turn?”

“Yes.”

Silence. Ana’s breathing became labored.

“We cannot risk it. If she Turns, she poses a significant threat. We...We must kill her.”

 _No_ ! Ana screamed. _No, please, no!_

“Elder Cinta, are you sure? Maybe---”

“There are no maybes,” she snapped. “Elder Isaac. Split some of the Earth away. Bury her quickly. She is far too weak to use her Magic to escape, she will be dead within minutes before the venom can Turn her.”

Ana screamed but there was no sound. She cried out, fought against their grips, but her body did not move. They dropped her into the newly dug grave. Her body landed with a dull thud and pain stabbed her body. Some things were definitely broken. She could barely cough out the dirt that was being piled on top of her body.

_Please...please…_

It wall went dark

  


 

Strange.

Ana could not explain it. The breeze wailed loudly, piercing her ears. Everything was sharper. More in focus, and yet, she struggled to retain all the information overloading her senses. _What happened_ ? Ana looked down at herself. Her formerly white gown was stained with grime and splattered with her own blood. Dirt was scattered around a shallow grave. _Was I in there_?

Suddenly it all came back. Her wolf, broken at her feet. The vampire’s red eyes on her as he tore into her throat. The betrayal of her people as they opted to bury her alive. The last glimpse of the moon before the pain and darkness took over her. And the _thirst_. She was so thirsty. She clawed at her throat, but it did nothing to alleviate the incessant burning. The ground shook under her bare feet as she stumbled forward with only one thought, constantly on repeat.

 _Kill_.

Her newfound rage was immeasurable. She wanted was to quench her physical thirst, but her thirst for revenge was just as strong. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. How dare they. They cast her aside without a second thought. Instead of saving her, they decided that her life meant nothing. They decided to end her life. They decided to _murder_ her. Her wrath grew stronger with the sting of the betrayal.

 _Kill. Kill them_ all.

She barely heard their screams. Barely acknowledged their pleas just like they ignored hers. Not one stood a chance, but no matter how many lives she took, the thirst never ended. More, she need more and more. Ana dropped the drained body of Elder Mateo. There was only one left. She could hear the staggered breathing of the last Elder, smell her fear mixed with blood and death in the air.

“Elder Cinta,” sang Ana, her voice raspy and thick with disuse. “Come out, come out, wherever you are…”

“ _Monstruo_ ,” was the whispered response. Ana tisked as she waved one hand carelessly and stopped the ball of fire in midair and flicked it towards a house. Up it went in flames as Ana located the gravitational mass of the last Magi Elder and dragged her out of her hiding spot without blinking an eye. The Elder Magi screamed and tried to fight against it, but it was futile.

“Monster, Elder Cinta?” whispered Ana. “Is that what I am? What you have made me?”

“Ana, Ana, please...please…” The Elder wrung their hands. “I implore you, beg of you. Stop this madness, this is not who you are.”

Ana tilted her head. She spotted a puddle of water and subsequently her reflection. So much blood. It was in her hair, on her hands, staining her dress, dripping from her lips. It was in her eyes, the violet in them now streaked with crimson.

“No.” Ana smiled sweetly at the Elder, her sharpened fangs flashing. “But it is what I am now.”

“No... _No_!”

“Shh…” Ana gripped the sobbing Elder by her hair, yanking her head back to expose her jugular. “Sweet dreams, Cinta.” Her scream was cut off by Ana sinking her teeth and not letting go until every drop of blood had left her body.

Ana stood and examined the scattered bodies. The burning in her throat had dulled, and the flames of retribution that had been in her eyes had cooled and hardened.

“Incredible.”

Ana closed her eyes. “You.”

“Yes, me. Your Creator. You can call me Edward.”

Ana scoffed quietly. “I do not care what you call yourself. I want nothing to do with you.”

He chuckled. Ana finally turned around to face her fellow vampire. His red eyes were sly, his lips twisted in a dangerously cheerful smile. “You could have at least saved a few for me,” he replied lightly, kicking away the body of a young male.

Ana did not respond. He gazed at her through his white blond hair, the smoke and flames and destruction reflecting in his eyes. He seemed to be reveling in it. It was then that she finally sensed the hum of immense power that surrounded him. He was no ordinary vampire. “This is what you wanted,” Ana finally remarked, her voice void of any emotion.

He shrugged. “This is more than what I wanted.”

“You disgust me.”

He grinned. “I disgust you? I did not just kill an entire camp of the people, dearie. That was you.”

Ana should have recoiled at his words, but she did not. She felt nothing. She instead just gave him her back and walked away towards the woods.

“We will meet again, Ana,” he called after her. “When the time comes, I will find you.”

Ana Sofía disappeared into the wilderness.

 


	2. Morning After Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter song is The Hills by The Echos (it's a cover of the Weeknd's song) 
> 
> *my author's notes will be always be at the end, and they'll usually hold important info, so I recommend reading them*

_430 Years Later..._

 

_A_ _na_ awoke with a start. The bedside clock flashed _3:30 AM_. Groaning slightly, she sat up against the headboard, letting one leg dangle over the side of the bed. She couldn’t get drunk, so why did she feel like she was suffering from the worst hangover? She pinned it on the nightmares. They were returning. Fuck. Fumbling slightly, Ana picked up a cigarette and lit it, taking a long drag. The smoke stung her throat, and had there not been someone beside her, she would have sworn aloud. She was getting thirsty.

The body next to her stirred. “Is it morning?” the girl---was her name Bianca?---murmured groggily.

“Technically.” Ana took another drag. Bianca made a small noise as she stretched, sitting back on her heels.

“Wow, I’m sore,” she remarked, brushing her hands over her naked body.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

She giggled. “But…” she began coyly, crawling forward slowly until she was straddling Ana’s waist. Ana let her head fall back against the headboard lazily as Bianca kissed her neck. “I’m not so sore I can’t go again.”

Ana’s lips curled into a half-smile. Bianca gasped and moaned loudly as Ana grabbed a fistful of her hair and tugged suddenly. “I don’t think you can handle me a second time,” murmured Ana, placing the cigarette to her lips for a third time before putting it out. Bianca’s blue eyes were alive with a mixture of excitement and lust as she captured Ana’s lips in an almost desperate manner. Ana dug her nails into Bianca’s roots as the girl’s hands moved under her simple T-shirt to fondle her breasts. She could feel Bianca’s wetness as the girl slowly began to grind on her bare thigh.

“ _Fuck_ ,” she breathed as Ana began kissing and biting hickeys on her neck while fingering her clit. Ana quickly found the spot that had caused the girl to squirt all over the sheets earlier and Bianca’s moans became more intense and her eyes squeezed shut. She must have bit down too hard---Bianca wouldn’t have minded, she liked pain---but suddenly the smell of blood was overwhelming and Ana froze. It wasn’t a lot of blood, not enough to alarm Bianca, but Ana hadn’t drank in---what, a few months? The few drops on her tongue burned, her throat ablaze with sudden thirst. Her canines throbbed as Ana pushed the girl off.

“What the fuck?” exclaimed a shocked and hurt Bianca.

“You need to leave.” Ana caught a glimpse of her eyes in the mirror. Red patches were blocking out the violet.

“Are you shitting me right now, it’s not even four AM!”

“ _Now_!” Ana snapped, a sharp edge to her voice. “Get the fuck out, right now!”

Bianca scrambled off the bed, fuming. “You’re a bitch,” she spat and stormed out of the bedroom. Ana closed her eyes, breathing heavily as the front door slammed.

_3:45 AM_.

Great. Everything was going to shit, and it had only been one week since the Ancient One had been killed. Ana could still hear the crack of bones shattering, her ragged breathing, and her spirit leaving the earth. It haunted her, though it shouldn't. She promised herself a long time ago that she would never grow attached to anyone. Never again would she place her trust in anyone except herself. But the Sorcerer Supreme had been different. She’d never judged Ana, though the first time they met was the Sorcerer stopping her from taking the life of a would-be feeding victim almost a century earlier. Ana almost laughed at the memory.

_“Hello, Ana Sofía.” The strangely dressed bald woman blocked Ana’s path as the man made a run for it._

_Ana hissed in response, though it did not remove the serene smile off of her face. “How dare you?”_

_She tilted her head, observing Ana’s almost feline-like advancements. “Are you planning on drinking my blood instead, Ana Sofía?” she asked softly._

_“How do you know my name?” Ana whipped her head around. “Did_ he _send you? You’re one of his!” she growled, crouching defensively._

_“If you mean your Creator, no, I am not. Just someone who is sad of seeing you waste your potential.”_

_Ana’s laugh was dry and without humor. “I lost my potential when I Turned. This is who I am now, and you just lost me my dinner.”_

_“Killing people?” sighed the woman. “Is that what your long life holds?”_

_“It’s how I survive.”_

_“Rather sad, don’t you think?”_

_“The world is a sad place, filled with sad people with sad lives. I’m doing them a favor.”_

_“And yet,” the woman mused, “you haven’t killed me.”_

_Ana grinned, and straightened up. The woman was still smiling as Ana got close to her face, their noses only a few centimeters apart. “I could,” replied Ana slowly. “It would be easy to.”_

_“I have no doubt you could. But I do doubt that you know exactly what you’re dealing with.”_

_Ana rolled her eyes. “Do you think me stupid? I can practically smell your dark Magic.” Ana stepped away. “Hypocrite.”_

_The woman shrugged ever so slightly. “Maybe. But that is not what I came to discuss. I have a proposal for you, Ana Sofía.”_

_“Not interested,” Ana responded, kicking a can away._

_“Oh, I think you will be.”_

If Ana helped protect the Mystic Sanctums alongside her, and subsequently the people of world, the Ancient One would help hide her from Edward and provide her blood to drink---so that she wouldn’t have to keep killing people to satisfy her thirst. And, for a while, the relationship worked. Ana wondered if the Ancient One could be considered a friend. Well, it didn’t matter. She was dead, and Ana was no longer safe. The dreams proved that.

He was coming for her.

Edward had tried---was still trying---to get her to join him, but Ana wanted nothing to do with him. But Creators had an unbreakable bond with the ones they Turned. She could hide, but not for long. He’d find her eventually. He may have been halted slightly by the Ancient One, but that protection couldn’t last forever. Ana had yet to figure out why he was inexplicably powerful. He wasn’t the only vampire she’d encountered, far from it, but he was the only one that made her uneasy. Dark, barely contained power rolled off him in waves. Wherever he went, chaos was sure to follow.

She’d worry about how to deal with Edward later. Right now, she needed blood. If Edward confronted her when she wasn’t at her strongest, she was done for. Ana’s Magi abilities let her go for longer periods of time without blood, but it wouldn’t be enough. Not for Edward.

After a scalding shower and a change of clothes, she stepped out of her apartment. The wind was biting, but she barely noticed it. The cold didn’t bother her. 177A Bleecker Street was only a few blocks away, and she didn’t bother to knock before stepping into the New York Sanctum. They really needed to learn to lock their doors. The Sanctum had been cleaned up and put back together after Kaecilius’ attack. There was an eerie silence as she walked in. But she wasn’t alone. She could sense two others also present inside the Sanctum, but didn’t bother to announce her arrival, heading straight for the Ancient One’s study. She didn’t make it far up the stairs before someone pointlessly tried to sneak up behind her. Silently conjuring a fire blade, she whirled around and threw it with lethal accuracy. Stephen Strange only had a millisecond to conjure up a shield to prevent the blade from embedding itself in his heart.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Ana,” swore Strange.

“Don’t use the Lord’s name in vain, Strange,” chastised Ana, smirking as he glared at her. “How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me?”

“Not enough to kill me!”

“But did you die?”

Strange gingerly picked up the dagger and Ana snickered at the cautious expression on his face. “Stop laughing at me, Ana.”

“I’m not,” she lied.

Strange held out the blade to her but Ana simply waved her hand and it burst into flames before disappearing. “Well, why didn’t you just do that before?” asked Strange crossly.

“I just wanted to see you work.” Ana tilted her head. “Hello, Wong,” she greeted, looking over her shoulder to the other Master of the Mystic Arts. “Doing well?”

His smile was tight. “As well as I could be.”

“Why does _he_ get a hello and I get a knife thrown at my face?” Strange grumbled from behind her.

Both Ana and Wong ignored him. “I assume you’re here for your blood fix?” continued Wong.

“You’d be right.”

Strange sounded offended when he muttered, “And now I’m invisible. Incredible.”

Wong sighed. “I’m sorry, Ana. When the zealots attacked, the stock the Ancient One held for you was destroyed.”

Ana’s throat dried. “Destroyed? All of it?”

Wong nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ll have more for you in about two days.”

Ana shook her head immediately. “No, no, I can’t wait two days, Wong, I need blood _now_.”

Wong frowned sympathetically. “There’s not much I can do, Ana. I’m sorry.”

She let out a shaky breath, trying to keep calm. With no protection from Edward and not being at her strongest, she was a sitting duck. “Fuck!” she blurted out in frustration, pushing past Strange and storming down the stairs.

“Hey, hey, hey, where are you going?” Strange called, his cloak levitating him over so he could block the door.

Ana glared at him, but Strange was never intimidated by her. “None of your business. Get out of my way, Strange.”

Strange narrowed his eyes. “The blood bank?” he guessed. “You’re going to steal some.”

“And if I am?” she challenged, irritated further that he guessed correctly.

“Well, I can’t let you do that,” he replied, smiling pleasantly, but Ana knew that it was to annoy her. It was working.

“Oh really?” She took a step forward. Their faces were mere centimeters apart. His blue eyes gazed steadily into her violet ones. “How are you going to do that, Strange?” she asked quietly. “When I had to heal your broken arm from the last time you thought you were a match for me?”

Strange scowled. “In my defense, I didn’t know what you could do or that you were a vampire. It wasn’t a fair fight.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “Move.”

“No.” Strange leaned against the door, folding his arms over his chest. “You’re not going to start stealing. Not on my watch.”

Ana looked over her shoulder at Wong, exasperated. “Can you help me with this child?”

“First of all, that’s rude.”

Ana flicked his forehead. “You deserve it.” He scoffed, but whatever he said next, Ana didn’t hear. A sharp pain burst in her temples and she doubled over, her eyes squeezing shut and a small cry escaping her lips.

_Ah...there you are…_

Dark red eyes and a wicked smile flashed, and her knees gave out.

It was too late. He was coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> author's note//// for reference, this story's present timeline is after the doctor strange movie timeline, which you probably got but I want to make clear. 
> 
> not all things will be clear right away, but that's the point. i'm leaving clues in chapters on what's to come (so look for those and I'd be interested in hearing any theories you might have, so comment them!) and Ana's life between the prologue and the present will be explained in due time :) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy and keep reading ! my finals start in about two weeks, so I'm going to try and get chapter two up before they start.


	3. Mayhem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapter songs for this update! listen in order  
> 1) Hidden Citizens - I Just (Died) In Your Arms  
> 2) Peter Gundry - The Last Of Her Kind (Ana's Theme btw)

_N_ ot a lot of time had passed when Ana reopened her eyes. Strange had apparently caught her, as she was lying against him for support when she came to. “Ana?” said Strange, shifting her in his arms and gently tilting her chin up so he could look down at her. His eyes widened ever so slightly. “Ana, your eyes...they’re completely red.”

A pit of dread formed in her stomach. With a shaky gasp, she pushed herself off of him with too much strength. In less than a second, Strange was lying on his back with a pained grunt and she was out the door. Away, she needed to run far away.

 _He’s coming, he’s coming, he’s coming, he’s coming_ _—_

Ana was lucky the streets were relatively empty so early in the morning—those that were out and about could only swear they saw a blur flash past them. She wasn’t breathing, wasn’t thinking, just running. The blood bank was the destination, and it was right in her sights. Blood...she could smell it, the intoxicating coppery scent. Knowing there was a back door, she made a sharp left into the alleyway.

Too late, she realized someone was already there.

Her breathing stopped. Dark energy overwhelmed her as Edward grinned at her from the door of the blood bank. He’d cut his hair cropped, military style, and his demeanor was laidback. Ana’s eyes zeroed in on the small blood bag in his hand.

“Ana!” he greeted cheerfully. “I thought you’d be here.”

Ana wiped her face of any emotion, but he was her Creator. He had an unbreakable bond with her, one that he used to find her. One that he was using to read her completely. He knew how to find her, and he knew that she was in no physical state to defend herself against him should it come to that. “Edward, we’ve been through this for four centuries. I won’t join you and your Creator-Newborn fantasy duo you’ve dreamt up of. Give it up, and leave me alone.”

Edward hummed, not responding. Bringing the bag up to his lips, he used his sharp fangs to tear off the corner and take a long drink of blood. Ana forced herself to keep still, even though her gums throbbed and her throat burned with thirst. He let out a long satisfied sigh after finishing the bag and throwing it to the ground. His eyes were bright red when he turned back to her, as they usually were after vampires fed.

“Sorry, did you want some?” asked Edward innocently, as if he hadn’t drunk the entire bag to mock her. “Well, it doesn’t matter either way, you won’t be needing it.”

If Ana’s heart could beat, it would have stopped at his words. “What are you on about?” replied Ana slowly, her muscles tensing. Her brain was screaming _DANGER_ at her, but her body refused to move.

Edward pushed himself off the wall. “You think I’m here to ask, or rather, you’re frightened that I’m going to force you to join me.” It wasn’t a question. Ana didn’t respond. Edward stopped a few feet away from her, hands in his pockets, staring off into the sky. “I’ve moved beyond that now,” he finally continued.

Ana’s neurons were firing faster than she could process. His voice was chillingly calm, the frostiness of it sparking her fight-or-flight response. “Beyond that how?”

Edward sighed. “This saddens me. Especially since it wastes all your potential...but alas, it’s necessary.” He turned his head towards her. “I’m sorry, Ana Sofia, but I can’t let you live.”

“ _Kjinn_.” Two fire blades, one in each hand, appeared. “If you think I’m just going to let you kill me,” hissed Ana, the biting wind becoming stronger around her and the ground shaking with each step she took, “because I’m a nuisance or whatever the fuck you think, you’re sadly mistaken.” Running wasn’t an option; he’d catch up. She knew she wasn’t physically as strong as the much older Vampire, especially haven’t recently fed, but her Magi abilities gave her an edge. All she had to do was injure him beyond the point where his regenerative healing could catch up. _That’s easier said than done_ , her subconscious annoyingly whispered.

“A nuisance?” Edward repeated, shaking his head slightly. “Well, you’re not completely wrong.” He stared at her for a few more moments. If Ana hadn’t been watching him so closely, she wouldn’t have seen the shift in his feet before he launched himself at her. She brought up her fire blade, and slashed at him, stabbing his left arm, but it did nothing to slow him down. He seized her arm and in one quick sharp movement she was flipped over and hurtling towards the opposite side of the alley.

She felt a surge of power go through her arms and into her hands as she used the wind to cushion her landing and push her back on her feet. Concrete flew away as thick winding vines burst out of the ground, whipping around his body and holding him in place. Ana couldn’t help but smirk as she disapperated her second fire blade.

“You’ve grown stronger,” was all he commented.

Ana forced the vines to bring him to his knees while twirling her blade. “Now I can finally be rid of you.”

Edward let out a breathy laugh, bowing his head. “Ah, Ana Sofia. Almost five centuries of life and you still know nothing about your Creator.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter either way,” she repeated his earlier words, pointing her blade at him. “You’re going to die, Edward. Any last words before I take your head and hang it up on my wall?”

Edward lifted his head. “ _Chaos_.”

Ana was flung backwards from the burst of dark energy. Her fire blade crumbled to ash in her fingers and her vines withered away. A loud ringing pierced her ears, but it didn’t shut out the sudden screams and shouts filling the air. She tried calling on her Magic but...nothing. It was like she was completely drained—she could hardly even move her body. Groaning, she pushed herself onto her elbows with great effort. Her usually sharp vision was blurred, and every movement she made was excruciating. She cried out as someone roughly grabbed her by the hair and began to drag her.

“I’ve got to say, it’s almost sad how you thought you could defeat your Creator so easily, Ana.” Edward’s voice was clear among the cacophony. He threw her down at his feet and Ana let out several ragged gasps. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

Ana weakly forced her head up. Multiple small businesses was up in flames, window glass shattering. The sound of screeching brakes and colliding metal combined with the yells, shouts and screams of the innocent. A man had an elder pinned to the ground and was punching him savagely. Others were smashing windows, destroying cars, attacking each other. Everyone was fighting everyone, but for no apparent cause. Ana’s vision focused for just a moment to see that all their eyes were pitch black, as if their pupils had dilated and blocked out the whites in their eyes.

“W—what have you done?” choked Ana.

Edward squatted down beside her, caressing her hair. “I used my gift,” he mused quietly. “You’re intelligent and clever, Ana, but it’s disappointing you never figured it out.” He snapped his fingers, black mist emitting from his fingers. “There are only three Magi’s left in the world after you murdered your entire village. You, Druid of Nature. Delphi, the Oracle. And me.” He smiled darkly. “Master of Chaos. ”

Ana screamed as she felt a blade go through her abdomen. The metal was so terribly cold it scorched her. Edward twisted the blade, drawing out another long pained wail. Contrary to what most thought, Vampires did bleed, and the gaping wound was pouring out streams of dark red. She wasn’t healing either. All her worst nightmares were coming true.

She was going to die.

“The Blade of Anarchy. If you’re wondering, my Chaos Magic is negating your own.” He tisked, kicking her onto her back. “And you never even scratched the surface of your Magic. A shame.” He grabbed her arm that was trying to push him away. “And because you haven’t had any blood for quite some time…” A scream clawed its way out of her throat as he snapped her arm. “You can’t heal yourself.” The blade tore into her knee. Ana couldn’t move, couldn’t fight, couldn’t defend herself as Edward continued his slow torture of breaking her apart piece by piece. Ana didn’t know if Vampires could technically pass out, but the agonizing pain brought her close. Why couldn’t he just finish it quickly and get it over with? All he had to do was take off her head. A quick end, something she was now craving.

 _Just do it_! she wanted to cry out at him. _Do it already!_

Edward shifted his blade to her neck. “Any last words before I take your head and hang it up on my wall?” he mocked her earlier cockiness.

Ana closed her eyes, bracing herself. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe now, she could finally rest.

But the sweet relief that death would have brought her never came. Two frantic voices were speaking in muffled tones. But she couldn’t move, couldn’t open her eyes to see what was happening. All she could feel was the pain, the neverending pain. At this point, all she wanted was to die. But if no one took off her head, she would be stuck in this endless cycle of pain and suffering, unable to heal but unable to end it.

Suddenly, something else broke through. Blood. The scent of blood. Was he trying to torture her further? Was he really this cruel? But the smell of blood was growing stronger, and closer. Against her will, her fangs became sharper. If she drank blood, it might kickstart the regenerative healing process. _Please, please, please, please…_

Something warm brushed against her lips, followed by the coppery sweet taste of blood. Ana’s eyes snapped open as her fangs sunk into the skin of her savior. Blood poured into her mouth, almost painfully refreshing. She could feel her bones snap back into place and her skin sewing shut. She could feel the strength of her Magi powers surging through her veins, and her vision and hearing were clearing.

“Strange! Strange, you need to let go, or she’ll kill you!”

A small groan was the only response. She hardly gave it a second thought, only focusing on feeding, on drinking. The pain was subsiding. She couldn’t stop, nor did she want to. She just wanted to feed and feed until she was satisfied. The source of her blood began growing weaker, and she clutched the arm to keep it in place.

“A...Ana,” a familiar voice whispered.

Ana gasped as she realized what she was doing, who she was feeding off of. _No!_ She shoved Stephen Strange away, crawling backwards away from him. He limply collapsed to the floor, his breathing shallow and his wrist drenched in his blood. Wong knelt beside him, looking to Ana in horror. Ana felt numb. What had she done?

“He’s dying,” shouted Wong. “You drank too much!”

Ana shook her head, her mind still trying to wrap around the fact that Strange had done something so utterly stupid. “Why—why did he do that? Why did _you_ let him?” Ana accused, unable to take her eyes off of an unmoving Strange.

Wong tried to close the bite mark and halt the bleeding, but it was no use. Vampire bites didn’t heal, they weren’t meant to. “He teleported you away from your Creator, who can’t enter the Sanctum. We would have told you that if you hadn’t run off so quickly. He knew you needed blood, so he…” Wong trailed off. “He refused to listen to me. I couldn’t stop him.”

Ana closed her eyes, bringing her legs to her chest and rocking back and forth. “No, no, no, no,” she muttered. Thanks to her, not only was the entirety of Allen Street completely in pandemonium, Strange was bleeding out at her feet. She let her paranoia and panic take over her head, and now look what happened.

“Ana,” said Wong urgently. “Do something, we need to help him.”

“What would you have me do, Wong?” replied Ana, not opening her eyes. “Vampire bites can’t be healed.”

“So that’s it, you’re just going to let him die?” Wong snapped back.

Ana flinched at his words. There was no way Strange could be Turned, as she wasn’t a venomous Vampire like Edward. No amount of magic or even regular human doctors could close the wound or stop the bleeding. Suddenly, an idea sprang to mind. A rather stupid idea, one that she wasn’t sure would work, but it gave her hope all the same. Opening her eyes, she made her way over to Wong and a hardly breathing Strange.

“What are you doing?” inquired Wong as she gently placed Strange’s head on her lap.

Ana shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea. I just hope this works.” Bringing her wrist up to her lips, she sunk her her fangs into her wrist, drawing her own blood. Quickly shifting her wrist down to Strange, she forced some of her blood into his mouth before her wrist healed itself before tilting his head back to make sure it went down his throat. Ana and Wong waited with held breaths. _Please let this work_ , she thought desperately. A few moments went by of nothing. Ana’s heart began to drop.

“Wait...Look!” Wong pointed at Strange’s wrist. Through the blood, they could see the bite wound slowly closing shut.  She let out a faint sigh of relief as Strange’s breathing became stronger and deeper. It was working, her blood was healing him. Strange grimaced slightly, before opening his eyes groggily and meeting Ana’s. He grinned at her tiredly, and Ana wanted to roll her eyes, but his typical behavior that let her knew he was okay made her smile against her will. But she was still beyond annoyed at his idiocy.

“You’re an idiot, Stephen Strange,” Ana reproached. “What were you thinking? That was basically suicide what you did.”

Strange sat up slowly, wincing a little. “Yeah, well, I’m still here. And so are you, so a “thank you” would be nice. And a massage. And a nice long bubble bath.”

Wong and Ana gazed at him incredulously. “Would you like a five course meal along with that, your Highness?” retorted Ana.  

“Yes, please. And make apple pie for dessert? With a scoop of ice cream on top?”

Wong got up and walked away without a word.

Strange shrugged at Ana. “I’ve only ever made that man laugh once, you know.”

“Yes, I know, Strange, because I was there.”

Strange chuckled, but turned serious. “Are you okay? I thought your Creator wanted you to join him, not to kill you.”

Ana nodded. “Thanks to you being stupid, yeah, I’m good.” She sighed. “As for the second part, I really don’t have any idea. It’s strange.”

“No, that’s me.”

“You’re not funny.” Ana hesitated for a moment, before saying, “Thank you. I would be dead if it weren’t for you.”

Strange smiled and opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly winced visibily and massaged his chest. Ana frowned in concern. “Strange? What’s wrong?”

“I feel weird,” he muttered.

“Weird how?” Ana reached out to touch his hand, but as soon as her skin crushed against his, an intense surge, almost like electricity, flashed through her. It shocked her so much she yanked her hand back with a small hiss. Her surprise and confusion was mirrored in Strange’s face.

“What...what was that?” asked Strange.

Ana stared down at her hand. “I—I don’t know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been rough, but finals are OVER and i'm on holiday for four months! that means more regular updates, probably every week/twice a week. 
> 
> expect another update in the next few days. the next few chapters will be VERY important, so pay attention. 
> 
> also...Infinity War. still has me dead. if you're worried about spoilers, for now you don't have to worry I will not spoil anything BUT this story will eventually tie into the Infinity War. however, that's way farther down the plot so that's updates away and by that point i'm expectng most of you guys will have seen the movie.
> 
> i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! please feel free to comment any theories or questions, or any (constructive please lmao) criticism. if you have questions, I'll do my best to answer without spoiling. some important details have been revealed in this chapter, and like I said these next few chapters will hold more and more clues and details. see you soon!
> 
> (also this story is not been completely edited yet, so please bear with any spelling or other errors that I may have missed; i try to catch as much as i can but im human lol)


	4. The Oracle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter songs are:  
> 1) Blue Foundation - Eyes on Fire  
> 2) of Verona - Dark in My Imagination

_“S_ o tell me again what happened.” Wong was pacing back and forth. The three of them were in the Ancient One’s study—now Strange’s—with Ana and Strange sitting several feet apart at Wong’s request.

“Wong, the story won’t change on the sixth time that I’ve explained it to you,” said Strange, looking irritated. He was still rubbing his chest and soon enough Ana had joined him in doing the same. While the initial intensity of the strange sensation died down, it only did so in her hand. Her chest felt inexplicably tight, and nothing she did would get rid of it. She almost felt like her heart was beating, but that was completely impossible. Her heart stopped beating over four centuries ago.

“Hmph,” was all Wong said, still pacing. “I think…” Ana and Strange sat up quickly, eagerly awaiting his answer. “I think...that I have no idea.”

Strange pinched the bridge of his nose as Ana scowled. “Wong.”

The man shrugged. “I’m sorry, I really have no answer for you. Vampires and the Mystic Arts hardly ever interact, so I don’t know much about...your kind.”

“Then we need to find someone who does,” commented Strange, looking over to Ana. “Is there anyone you know that might know what the hell is going on with the both of us?”

Ana sighed, rubbing her temples. “Yes, I do. But with Edward out there, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to—” Ana suddenly stopped talking, her head snapping up so fast it startled Wong and Strange. Standing up, she slowly took several steps forward.

“Were you two expecting any guests?” asked Ana, utterly calm but on high alert. She had sensed a gravitational mass downstairs, almost missing it from being so distracted.

Strange was by her side in an instant. “No.”

The tightness in her chest became almost unbearable. She sucked in some air, trying to release some of the pressure. Of course, since nothing was going her way today, it didn’t work. “ _Kjinn_.”

“Ana, I think you should stay here while Wong and I—”

“Not a chance,” Ana cut off Strange bluntly, gripping the handle of her fire blade. A vague feeling of irritation clouded her mind. _I’m not annoyed at anything, though_ , she briefly thought, but focused on the entity now right outside the door. Strange and Wong both conjured up their weapons and Mystic Magic, preparing to confront the intruder. Ana sensed no dark energy, so it definitely wasn’t Edward. In fact, the aura seemed rather familiar… The door was pushed open.

“Quite the welcoming party,” a quiet voice commented lightly. “Maybe I should have called first.”

Ana relaxed and smiled broadly. “Delphi.”

The other Vampire Magi and longtime friend of Ana stepped out of the shadows. The regal raven-haired Greek embraced Ana tightly. “It seems like every time I visit, you’ve gotten yourself into some sort of trouble,” said Delphi when they broke apart.

Ana shrugged. “I don’t go looking for it, it comes to me, I swear. How’ve you been, Phi?”

Delphi’s smile turned tight. “Not the best. But first,” she added quickly before Ana could ask any questions. “You might want to make some introductions.”

“Wha—Oh.” Ana looked over her shoulder at a very confused Strange and an equally bemused Wong. “Delphi, this is Stephen Strange and Wong, Masters of the Mystic Arts. Strange, Wong, this is Delphi, an old, _old_ , friend.”

Delphi rolled her eyes. “No need to rub that in.”

“Delphi,” Wong repeated, looking more than curious. “Like the Oracle of Delphi, from Greek mythology? Is that who you were named after?”

Delphi’s auburn eyes twinkled. “Darling, that  _is_ me.”

Ana snickered at the bewildered expressions on both of the males’ faces. “You’ll come to find that most mythological people were actually just powerful Magis.” Ana sighed reminiscently. “We didn’t always have to hide,” she mumbled, mostly to herself.

“So, Zeus, Hades, Poseidon…?” Strange trailed off, but his question was there.

“All real. Annoying, but real.” Delphi turned back to Ana. “Edward is here, looking for you. I saw that much in my visions.”

Ana smiled grimly. “Not looking for me. Trying to kill me.” Delphi’s eyes widened. “Here, you might want to sit down for this.”

Delphi listened carefully, not saying a word as Ana explained what happened earlier that day. Her frown deepened the more Ana spoke.

“He used his Chaos Magic so openly?” asked Delphi finally.

Ana’s eyes narrowed. “Wait, you knew he was a Magi?” Delphi nodded. “You knew and you didn’t think that was something I should have been informed of?”

Delphi looked apologetic. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to add to your already extreme paranoia when it comes to your Creator. And with the Ancient One protecting you, I thought it was hardly worth it at that point.” She stood, walking over to gaze out the window. “When I heard of her death, I knew he would find you, and came to tell you. But I was too late, it seems.”

“He nearly killed her,” Strange added from Ana’s side, still holding his chest.

Delphi made a small noise, deep in thought. “How?”

“How what?” asked Ana.

“Did you survive? He should have killed you easily, especially since you said you hadn’t fed in months. So I repeat, how did you survive?”

Ana and Strange shared a quick look. “Well, about that...See I was going to send you a message.”

Delphi slowly turned around, looking suspiciously all-knowing. “About what?”

Ana’s knee began to bounce, a nervous tic. “The only way I could be saved was with blood.”

Delphi groaned softly, closing her eyes. “Which one did you feed off of?”

Strange raised his hand. “That would be me.”

“So how are  _you_ alive, Mr. Strange? Ana should have killed you.”

“Dr. Strange,” he corrected. “Ana gave me some of her blood so the bite could heal and—”

Delphi’s eyes were now sharp and glaring daggers at Ana. “You _what_?” She didn’t yell, but Ana would have preferred it if she had. Delphi’s cold anger was more terrifying.

Ana held up her hands. “Phi, I wasn’t going to let him die because he decided to be an idiot,” she defended herself, ignoring the small misplaced flash of annoyance she felt. “But now something weird is happening to him and I knew you would be the one to know so—”

“It’s not just him, is it?” Delphi cut her off, folding her hands over her chest and looking at the ceiling. “It’s you too, isn’t it?”

“Yes, how did you—”

Delphi held up one finger, and Ana fell silent. “You’re too young to recognize what’s happening,” she murmured, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Too young, too ignorant.” She began pacing, retracing Wong’s earlier steps. “It hasn’t been done in over a millenia, because of how it last ended. It became unofficially forbidden. If any of the other Vampires found out, it would cause an uproar.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Strange.

It was as if Delphi hadn’t heard him. “And if _Edward_ found out, then you’re both in graver danger than you know. But no, he can’t enter the Sanctum, the Ancient One made sure of that. However, he’ll find a way to get around that. You’re not ready yet, and now with this—”

Ana had heard enough. “Delphi,” she interrupted sharply, causing the older Vampire to pause and look over her shoulder. “Can you please make sense? What are you on about?”

Delphi gazed at Ana, the look on her face telling Ana that it was nothing good. “Ana, you Imprinted on Strange.”

  


 

 

“An Imprint is an ancient bond that occurs when a human and a Vampire share blood. You drank Strange’s blood. He in turn drank yours. It awakened the Imprint, and the ‘weirdness’ you’re feeling now are all because of the Imprint. It’s settling between you two.”

“You say bond, what does that actually entail?” Wong asked. Strange and Ana were unable to speak, both equally stunned.

“They’ve created a strong connection between them. A link that enables the both of them to know what the other is feeling, know where the other is, if one of you is in danger, and—once the link is strong enough—could even let you telepathically communicate.”

Ana stood up and was the third to start pacing. Her mind was running wild. This was bad. Very bad. She ran her fingers through her hair roughly, trying to figure out what the hell she was going to do. Of course, Delphi had to make it worse by continuing explaining exactly how much Ana had fucked up.

“This is ancient laws of nature at work, and dangerous ones. We have to tread very carefully.” Delphi paused to watch Ana’s descent into panic. “Ana, you need to calm down.”

“Yeah, yeah, calm down,” breathed Ana, chewing on the bottom of her lip. “Calm down, calm down. And _how_ exactly am I supposed to do that, Delphi? Huh?” Ana turned her wide violet eyes to Delphi. “How do we break the Imprint?”

Delphi shook her head. “No, Ana. You can’t. It’s unbreakable. The only thing that would break it is one of you...dying,” finished Delphi, her voice melancholic. “The last known Imprint ended with the human dying, and the Vampire going insane with grief. Said Vampire went on a grief-driven killing spree, until the other Vampires managed to decapitate him. That’s why it’s forbidden to Imprint. And if the Vampire died...well, it’s safe to say the death of the Imprint would be enough to kill the human as well.”

Ana, to the confusion of her companions, laughed. “Great. Amazing. Incredible.”

“Ana,” Delphi warned, eyes zeroing in on Ana’s trembling hands. “Calm down, _now_.”

Ana pulled at her hair. “This can’t be happening. This literally can’t be happening.”

Strange stood up, trying to make his way over to Ana, but Delphi held out a hand, warning him to keep his distance. “Ana,” he tried. “Ana, listen to me.”

“No, no, _you_ don’t talk to me right now.” Ana pointed one smoking, shaky finger at him. “You stay right there and keep your mouth shut.”

Strange pushed past Delphi. “Look, we need to figure this out—and we can figure this out, together, but we can’t do that if you’re two seconds away from hysterics.”

Ana threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. The chandelier began to swing with the sudden strong wind. “And you’re still talking. You’re still talking—honestly, it’s like I’m talking to a wall.”

“Strange, get back, she’s not stable,” Delphi commanded urgently, but Strange ignored her.

“Look, it’s not as bad as you—”

Ana whipped her head to face him, her violet eyes dark and stained with red, her shoes singing the carpet. “Not as bad?” she repeated, her voice quiet. “On the contrary, _Stephen_ , this is probably the worst thing that could have happened to me.”

Strange looked stung, and a little more than angry. “Oh really? Please, do explain.”

Ana took a threatening step forward, and Delphi and Wong immediately stepped in between the two, Delphi placing one cautious hand up to stop Ana and Wong standing in front of Strange in a protective stance. Ana stopped, but her eyes were solely focused on Strange. “Don’t you realize what this means? I die, you die. You die, I die. And it just so happens that my Creator is out there right now, looking for a way to kill me. If he finds out about the Imprint, it’s the end of us both. And if the other Vampires find out, then they’ll hunt us both down, and no amount of Mystic Arts will be able to get you out of this one, Strange.”

“You think I don’t realize that?” snapped Strange, eyes flashing and voice rising. “You think I don’t realize the danger of this situation we’re in?”

“I think you don’t realize a lot of things,” retorted Ana darkly. “That much you’ve proven.”

“Let me remind _you_ , Ana, that I just saved the entirety of Earth, and probably the universe, last week. I’m not some helpless child who can’t defend himself.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “You’ve been at the Mystic Arts for a few months and you suddenly think you’re invincible.”

They were yelling now. “Are you so selfish that you can only ever think about yourself?” spat Strange. “It’s only ever been about _you_ , and how everything affects _you_.”

Ana scoffed, turning her back. “That’s rich coming from you, hypocrite.”

“I saved your life!”

“You should have let me die!”

Silence met her ringing words. Both parties were breathing hard, glowering at the other. Ana felt like her fury was heightened times ten, and now she knew it was because she was feeling Strange’s emotions as well. And she hated it. Absolutely, utterly hated it.

“I think I should leave,” said Ana finally.

Delphi immediately shook her head. “That’s a terrible idea, for two reasons. One, this place is the only location you will be safe from Edward. Two, you two can’t be apart for too long because of the Imprint, especially right now.”

“Great,” deadpanned Ana. Strange muttered something under his breath. “Speak up if you have something to say, Strange.”

“Thought you wanted me to keep my mouth shut,” retorted Strange coolly.

“You’re doing a terrible job of that.”

“Enough!” snapped Delphi. “You both are acting like children, both of you throwing a tantrum because of decisions _you_ made. Now you both, _together_ , have to deal with the consequences of your actions today.” Delphi faced a sulky Ana. “You are safest here, so you stay here.”

“I don’t know what’s the point,” replied Ana, folding her arms over her chest. “I’m no match for him.”

Delphi sighed. “Sit down, and let me explain something to you.”

Ana did as told, refusing to even look at Strange, making a point to gaze straight ahead at Delphi and nowhere else. She could still feel his anger blending with her own. “What?”

Delphi narrowed her eyes. “Watch your tone, Ana. Don’t take your anger out on me. Moving on,” she continued when Ana mumbled an apology. “Have you ever noticed about the timing of when Edward always finds you, Ana?”

Ana shrugged, not being very responsive.

“He only ever comes to you when you haven’t fed. Essentially, at your weakest.”

“What does that matter? Even if I had fed, he’s much stronger than I am. He’s just smart making sure that I won’t be that much of a threat.”

Delphi shook her head again. “But you _are_ a threat to him, Ana. He attacks you at your weakest not because he’s clever, but because he’s a coward who’s frightened of what you can do at your strongest.”

Ana frowned. “Edward can’t possibly be scared of me.”

“Oh, but he is. Ana, you’re the most powerful Magi to ever walk this earth but you’ve hardly scratched the surface of everything your Magic has to offer.”

“Now you’re just exaggerating things, Phi.”

“I am not,” replied Delphi sharply. “This is something critically essential that you have to understand, should you want a chance at defeating Edward. Your true, raw power is still locked away, so to unlock it you need to train. I’ll help you, but this will take time.”

“We don’t have time,” cut in Strange, looking down at his feet. “I’m not sure what spell the Ancient One put on this Sanctum, but now that she’s gone it may not last. And Edward isn’t just going to sit on his ass twiddling his thumbs and give up.” 

“Then we’ll have to stall him back as long as we can,” replied Delphi. “We start tomorrow, Ana, at dawn.”

“Why not now?”

Delphi walked towards the door. “Because Wong and I are going to leave you two here to figure things out. Do me a favor, and try not to kill each other.”

Wong followed Delphi out, shutting the door behind him and leaving Strange and Ana sitting in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you all enjoy this chapter and are having a good week! thoughts on delphi?
> 
> next chapter is an important one, as it reveals a lot of backstory, including how Strange and Ana's relationship has developed since they first met, and it will probably be a very long one that will take me a while to write. if I had to put a date, I'd say probably looking at a (tentative) update Monday or Tuesday. 
> 
> comments are appreciated, and give me a lot of motivation to write! have a good one.


	5. Distant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter songs are:  
> 1) Depth Over Distance - Ben Howard  
> 2) Immortal - Marina and the Diamonds

_ T _ hey sat on opposite ends of the couch, looking anywhere but at each other. And yet, they knew exactly what the other was feeling. Ana just felt resentment. Resentment towards herself, towards Strange, Edward, the universe. Strange was more conflicted, but Ana didn’t try and pinpoint the ranges of emotions going through the man.  _ How did I get here _ ? she thought. It wasn’t even noon, and yet Ana felt like this was the longest day of her extremely long life. She felt eyes on her, and knew Strange was watching her. She determinedly kept her eyes on the small stain on the wall. Minutes passed. All Ana could hear was the ticking of the clock on the wall and Strange’s even breathing. 

“Why do you hate me?”

The question was so unexpected for Ana that at first she didn’t respond. Strange’s frown deepened. “Ana, I don’t understa—”

“I don’t hate you,” replied Ana. “I hate the situation. Don’t confuse the two.”

Strange was quiet for a moment. “Are you angry with me?”

Ana sighed, sinking into the couch and closing her eyes. “Yes. You shouldn’t have given me your blood.”

“You were going to die if I didn’t,” Strange argued. “And I specifically remember you thanking me for it.”

Ana huffed. “Considering taking it back if you keep this up.” 

“You already said it, you can’t take it back.”

“Yes, I can and I will.”

“‘Thank you  _ so _ much, Strange, I would have been dead if it weren’t for you, Strange’.”

Ana rolled her eyes. “I didn’t say that. You made it up.” 

“Liar,” he simply retorted, smiling a little. 

Ana shook her head at him. “No. Don’t do that. Don’t act like everything’s okay, when it isn’t.”

His smile faltered. “Do you hate the idea of being connected to me that much?”

“Yes.”

Strange didn’t respond, but Ana felt the flash of hurt that went through him. She snuck a glance over to him. He was staring at the floor, brows furrowed and a frown etched on his face. Ana against her own accord felt a little bad for her words, but she meant them. He just didn’t understand. Then again, no one ever did. Her ability to mask her emotions and remaining impassive towards everything and everyone was her means of survival. She’d learned the hard way what happened with letting your guard down and opening up, and it cost her everything. And now there was someone who could read everything about her, know everything about her, and it went against everything she’d worked so hard to maintain. Arguably the person that knew her best was Delphi, but Delphi left Ana to her own accord and asked no questions, and Ana did the same. It was why they got along so well. But Strange... Strange was different.

He was stubborn. Reckless, and annoyingly arrogant. He was curious, and couldn’t leave things alone, not afraid to speak what was on his mind. Ana, on the other hand, was a silent observer. She preferred the dark and the shadows, preferred staying out of any sort of trouble. Secrecy was something she’d mastered completely. Complete opposites, and yet here they were. More than once, Strange and Ana had found themselves in heated arguments since they’d met that fateful day in Kamar-Taj.  _ You’ve shared rather intimate moments together too, don’t you forget _ , her subconscious reminded her, but Ana dismissed it. Sure, they’d had sex a few times; it meant nothing. Getting attached was something she couldn’t let happen. It would only end in a lot of pain, for them both. This Imprint wasn’t going to change anything. She’d make sure of it.

“What did I do to make you feel that way?” was what he finally asked.

Ana ran her fingers through her hair, resting her head against the palm of her hand. “Don’t flatter yourself, Strange.  I don’t feel this way specifically because of you.”

“Then what is it? I’m just trying to understand, Ana. I’m trying to understand  _ you _ .”

“Don’t try. You’re not going to get anywhere.”

Strange shifted on the couch to face her completely. “You know, that’s what everyone told me when I first had my accident. That I’d never be able to use my hands again, that I’d never be able to save lives. And now look at me.”

Ana waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t compare apples and oranges. This situation is completely different.”

Strange let out a long sigh. “You always lock yourself away behind the walls you’ve built up whenever things start getting even slightly uncomfortable.”

“Don’t start acting like you know me, Strange,” warned Ana. 

“Maybe I know you better than you think,” challenged Strange. “You keep pushing me away because I’m right.”

Ana gave him such a dark glare that he momentarily looked taken aback. “Let me get one thing straight with you: whatever you think you may have figured out about me, you haven’t even come close. You have no idea who I am, Strange, and I know you never will. Why? Because I won’t let you. Don’t let this Imprint fool you into thinking otherwise.”

“Why won’t you trust me?” he asked, frustration seeping into his voice.

“Don’t take it personally,” she replied, smiling bitterly. “I don’t trust anyone.”

The look on his face strongly resembled pity. “Must be lonely.”

“A small, inconsequential price to pay to survive. One thing you learn when you live as long as I have is that you never can trust anyone but yourself.”

He shook his head. “Surviving isn’t living, Ana.”

“It is for me.”

Strange sat back. Ana’s expression had gone back to being blank, but she could practically see the wheels in his head turning. He met her gaze again. “Do you remember what you said to Mordo before he disappeared?”

Ana blinked, not responding.

“You told him that the world wasn’t as black and white as he wanted it to be. That it was complex, ever changing, ever growing. That if he stayed on his current path it would destroy him.”

Ana shrugged. “Yes, I said that. What’s your point?”

“My point, Ana, is that you aren’t following your own advice. You think it’s you against the world, when it doesn’t have to be. The world’s changed, but you haven’t changed with it.”

“The world’s changed but people haven’t,” she interrupted. 

“People aren’t the same, Ana! Isn’t that what you told the Ancient One when she was afraid I’d turn out like Kaecilius?”

Ana narrowed her eyes. “Who told you—Mordo,” she answered her own question. “You don’t understand, Strange.”

“Then help me to.”

“No.”

Ana felt Strange’s frustration rise as he stood up and walked to the window, staring out into the street. “Why’d you have to make this so hard?” he muttered, mostly to himself. Before Ana could reply, he continued. “Actually, no. It’s fine.” He turned around, a mischievous smile on his face. Ana narrowed her eyes as he leaned against the window sill. “I’ve literally fought an interdimensional parasite. Figuring you out will be a lot easier than that.”

Ana’s smile was challenging as she stood up and made her way over to him. An electrical energy sparked between them the closer she got. She stood in front of him, hardly any space between them, looking up with a knowing glint in her eye. Strange tilted his head, the corners of his lips turning up and his blue eyes bright. 

“Is that what you think?” murmured Ana, playing with the collar of his shirt. She smirked when his breath caught in his throat. Tracing patterns down his chest until she reached the Eye of Agamotto, she tapped it. “You can’t bargain your way with me, Strange. I’ve got all the time in the world to play whatever game you’re cooking up.” She briefly noticed that his eyes reminded her of the oceans near her home village, deep and strong. 

_ Snap out of it _ .

He grasped her hand, keeping it in place against his chest. The skin-to-skin contact intensified the energy crackling between them. It couldn’t be seen, but they both felt it, through their veins and all over their body. Strange smiled. 

“Game, Ana? There is no game. I just think you’ve been by yourself for much too long.”

His words hit a little too close to home, but she couldn’t break away from his gaze. “I think you talk too much.”

“Shut me up then,” he replied quietly, raising an eyebrow. 

Ana rolled her eyes. “That’s not going to work another time,” retorted Ana, remembering passionate kisses and tangled sheets. 

He grinned. “That’s unfortunate, because I seem to remember you enjoying the first time quite a bit. And the next time...and the next time...and the—” His voice was suddenly muffled by Ana placing a hand over his mouth to silence him. 

“You look like you haven’t slept in days,” she commented.

“I haven’t, not really,” came his muted voice. 

“Go get some sleep.” She removed her hand away to see that he was still grinning.

“Aw, Ana. Do you actually... _ care _ about me?” he teased.

Ana shoved him, a little too hard but he deserved it. “Go sleep. At least then there’ll be some peace and quiet around here.”

“Wow, rude.”

  
  


_ A few months prior… _

 

“Any news?”

Ana shook her head, shifting slightly to let a woman and her small child pass. “No. Kaecilius is hard to track.” She gazed out into the busy Nepalese street, filled with mindless chatter, wafts of incense, and the shouts of merchants. “You know, this would have been dealt with a lot faster if you let me take care of him.”

Mordo chuckled slightly. “You haven’t killed a human in many years, Ana. The Ancient One would like to keep it that way.”

“Afraid I might convert back to my old ways?” replied Ana dryly. “Start sucking people dry for a living again?”

Mordo looked as calm as always as he shook his head. “The Ancient One trusts you, as do I.”

Ana eyes caught on to a rather scraggly man who looked very out of place as he tried to navigate his way through the road, not responding to Mordo. Interesting. He looked rather familiar, and was clearly a foreigner. Her acute hearing picked up on his words.

“ _ Kamar-Taj _ ?  _ I’m looking for Kamar-Taj, can you help me _ ?”

“Well, well,” she murmured. “Look what we have here, Mordo. He’s looking for Kamar-Taj.”

Mordo followed her line of sight until he spotted the man as well. 

“Kamar-Taj?” the man inquired of no one in particular as he walked right past them. There was a certain desperation in his eyes, one that Ana had seen plenty of times. Mordo and Ana silently began following him. He was going the completely wrong way, Ana noted to her amusement, but he clearly didn’t truly know what he was looking for. Her eyes narrowed when he began walking into a dark alleyway and was met by four men wanting to rob him, no doubt. 

“Trouble,” Mordo commented.

“No shit.”

Mordo shot her a swift look but said nothing.

“I don’t have any money,” said the man as they came closer.

“Your watch.”

The man looked broken. “No, please, it’s all I have left.”

His robber smirked. “Your watch.”

Stupidly, the man decided that the best option would be to punch his way out of his situation. He cried out and doubled over, grabbing his hand, and the attackers took their opportunity to starting beating the shit out of him. Ana was about to go help, but Mordo stopped her.

“Let me.”

Ana scoffed but let him take care of it. It was over quickly; the men didn’t stand a chance against a trained fighter like Mordo. Ana made her way over to the man on the ground watching Mordo with a mixture of fear and awe. He crawled back, startled when he saw her approach, so she held up her hands to show that she meant no harm. 

“Easy there,” said Ana, approaching more slowly. She held out one hand for him to take and helped him up. She noticed that his hands were trembling. Focusing slightly, a brush against his hand told her that he had severe nerve damage, and suddenly his reason for seeking Kamar-Taj was clear. 

“You’re looking for Kamar-Taj?” confirmed Mordo, handing the man back his broken watch. 

He nodded. 

“Follow us.”

  
  


_ Present  _

 

Ana watched Strange nap on the couch from her place on the armchair a few feet away. She had tried to leave the room multiple times, but the tightness in her chest kept building up, drawing her back into the room. In the end, she gave up and sat down. His cloak wrapped around him in a sort of makeshift blanket and his mouth was slightly open, soft snores filling up the room. He slept peacefully, but she felt restless with the knowledge that, essentially, she was trapped at the Sanctum. If she went outside, she’d lose protection against Edward. And if this...Imprint was as strong and binding as Delphi made it out to be, she and Strange couldn’t be apart for too long without there being consequences, and that must have been why she couldn’t leave the room while he was still there. 

Ana massaged her temples, stressed out of her mind. It wasn’t only her in danger now, it was Strange. Vampires were inherently resistant to any sort of magic, including Mystical Arts and even Ana’s Magi. Though Ana had grown strong enough over the years to do significant damage to other vampires with her Nature Magic, Strange didn’t stand a chance should Edward find out about their Imprint. And with his Chaos Magic, it was safe to stay that Strange, while a quick learner and strong in his own way, would be no match for him.  As for the other Vampires, well, Ana hoped they’d never find out. There were only a few unspoken rules among Vampires, and Ana was too young to witness what happened if a Vampire broke one of these rules. But Delphi was much older, and had warned her that Vampires were absolute and brutal in their punishment. They’d send the Twins to hunt her down, and if they sent the Twins, then there was no place on Earth to hide. 

The Twins were part of a small sect of Vampires called the Gifted, Vampires that gained some sort of enhanced ability when they Turned. The Twins had a Gift of tracking and could find anyone and anything, dead or alive. That was something she’d rather not have to deal with. Especially since one of them was her ex. While Ana wouldn’t really call what they had a relationship, more like friends with benefits, things ended badly. Isabella had a rather malicious edge to her, as did her brother Isaac, that Ana eventually couldn’t stomach. Needless to say, they weren’t on good terms, and Isabella would by no doubt refuse a chance to act on her grudge against Ana. 

She knew what Strange would say if she told him this. That he could handle it, could train himself more to be able to fight back, that the Time Stone would help. But he was still fresh into the Mystic Arts; not even a year had passed yet since they’d met at Kamar-Taj. A gifted learner but the Vampires they’d be up against not even including Edward would be at least 300 years older than him. The older a Vampire got, the stronger they became. Isabella and Isaac were older than Ana by about a century and a half, Edward by over a millenia and she didn’t know how exactly old Delphi was. All she knew was that Delphi was older than Aristotle, and that was enough. Ana wasn’t sure if she was strong enough to protect him as well as herself. That was what it had come to, it seemed. Ana needed to protect Strange to protect herself and not let the Imprint bond break. 

“I think your knee would like a break now.”

Ana sighed and stopped bouncing her knee. “What have I done, Phi?” she mumbled, glancing over at Strange. “Everything just got ten times more complicated.”

Delphi gazed at her sympathetically. “For what it’s worth, it was a good thing you did. Saving his life.”

“But I may have created something worse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not a lot of action in this chapter, but important for different reasons. thanks to all reading and leaving kudos!
> 
> i might take a little longer to upload the next chapter as im going to get busy soon, but I'll do my best to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. enjoy!


	6. Author's Note (Please Read)

Hello!  
  
I know I haven't updated in a while. To be honest, it wasn't my intention, but I've been having trouble with writer's block. I know what I want to write but not how to write it. It's been difficult, having my document open but only writing two lines at a time each day. It makes me want to stop writing, but I do this entirely too much. I have multiple projects that I've started but never ended up finishing. I was considering discontinuing this series and story, but I'm not going to. I want to finish this story, I have a lot of plans for it. I love writing, but for too long I've let little things get in the way of me finishing my projects and enjoying my writing. So no, I'm not going to discontinue this series. I'm going to see it out till the end, and hope that you all enjoy the content I'm putting out. I can't promise there will be no more writer's block, but this time I won't let it get in the way of me finishing this story.  
  
I'll update this coming Saturday.   
  
See you then. :)  
  
  



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